Refrigerator latch



Feb. 8, 1949. H. WALLACE REFRIGERATOR LATCH 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 8, 1945 INVENTOR BY w ATTORNEY Feb. 8 H REFRIGERATOR LATCH 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Filed Aug. 8, 1945 ATTORNEY Feb. 8; 1949. H. WALLACE REFRIGERATOR LATCH 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 8, 1945 INVENTVOR I ATTO R N EY v 4 Sheets-Shee t 4 INVENTOR 24 1 71/144 BY fi/g.

ATTORNEY Feb. 8, WALLACE V REFRIGERATOR LATCH Filed Aug. 8, 1945 Patented Feb. 8, 1949 2,461,361 REFRIGERATOR LATCH Hugh Wallace, Evansville, Ind., assignor to Serve], Inc., New York,

Delaware N. Y., a corporation of Application August a, 1945, Serial No. 609,567

Claims. (01. 292-255) My invention relates to household refrigerators having a treadle-operated door latch.

A treadle for operating the door latch of a domestic refrigerator should be smooth and quiet in operation. Sucha treadle should be connected to the doorlatch mechanism in such a, manner that sufficient force may be transmitted through the treadle to unlatch the door and to cock the latch mechanism without producing undue strains in the latching mechanism or in the connections between the treadle and the latch mechanism. A foot treadle for unlatching the door of a household refrigerator should be mounted on the refrigerator and connected to the latch mech-- anism in such a manner that all moving parts of the treadle, and of the connections between the treadle and the latch may be adjusted at the factory and thereafter remain in adjustment throughout the life 'of the refrigerator.

I have invented a treadle and connecting mechanism for unlatching a refrigerator door in which the treadle is pivotally mounted on the refrigerator in such a manner that there is no metal-tometal contact in the moving parts of the mounting. There are no parts to wear or to lose their adjustment in the mounting; no loose joints to rattle; and no metal-to-metal contact to set up squeaking noises. The treadle is connected to the latch by means of yieldable connections which prevent undue strains from being applied to the latch; the connections remain in adjustment at all times and afford smooth and quiet operation.

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention are attained as set, forth in the detailed specification taken with the accompanying drawings. in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator cabinet illustrating one embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a broken verticle sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 3;

Fig, 3 is a horizontal sectional view through the base of the refrigerator cabinet showing the treadle supporting and mounting mechanism in top plan view;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view through the treadle mounting taken on line 44 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view of a yieldable connection between the treadle and latch;

Fig. 'I is a top plan view, partly in section, taken on line 1| of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a broken front elevational view, partly in vertical section. of an adjustable connection between the upper hook member 04 and the latch bolt l8aofFlg.1; I

Fig. 9 is a side elevational view of apart of the mechanism illustrated in Fig. 8;

bolt and connecting means;

Fig. 11 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line I l-l l of Fig. .9; Fig. 12-is a vertical sectional view of a modification of the yieldable connection illustrated in Fig, 6; and' a V p Fig. 13 is a vertical sectional view of a second modification of a yieldable connection between frigerator provided with a hinged door l l for gaining access to a food storage compartment l2,

a closure member 13 for an apparatus compartment I4 and a supporting base I. Door II is provided with a latch mechanism It including a latch bolt lta. A latch keeper lib is mounted on the door jamb. Any suitable type of latch mechanism may be used; however, I prefer to use a latch mechanism similar to that illustrated and described in the copending application of Arthur C. Shuart, Serial No. 582,732, filed March 14, 1945. Since the particular latch mechanism does not form a part of this invention, this mechanism will not be described. However, the disclosure of the aforementioned Shuart application may be considered as being incorporated in this'application and, if desired, references may be made thereto for a detailed description of the latch mechanism.

A treadle I1 is positioned in front of base member l5 and traverses the entire front of the reas at 0. As viewed in Figs. 2 and 3, the inner ends of mounting member ii are mounted on 0D- posite sides of the cabinet base linear the rear portion of the base.

In accordance with this invention, these mountings each include a bolt 20 provided with a square shank 2i whichvpasses through a square opening in a recessed portion 22 of the cabinet base. A recessed nut 23 secures the bolt to the re- 3 cessed portion or base It. A pair of yieldable rubber washers 24 are threaded on to bolt with the top end portion of the channel member Ila. sandwiched therebetween. A metal washer is is threaded on to bolt .30 between the lower rubber washer 24 a'nda lock nut 33.- Lock nut 33 is pro-' vided with ii locking insert 31. -mountings aiiord pivot or hinge connections between the mounting member l3 and the cabinet base. The mounting member is held slightly yieldable between the'rubber washers; the angle through which the inner ends of the mounting member travels being relatively small the rubber washers will yield sumciently for this travel and at the same time aiiord quiet non-wearing hinge or pivot connections.

'Ireadle I1 is provided with a decorative corrugated tread 23 formed of stainless steel or other suitable polished material and inclined upwardly from the front edge thereof at an angle of approximately with the horizontal. A pair of 4 ward movement oi the rod. The upper end oi rod 33 is screw-threaded to receive an elongate adjusting nut 32. A locking spring 53 isprovided for locking the adjusting nut 52 on rod 33. Both ends of spring 53 are bent axially outward as at 33c, Figs. Sand 9, with the upperbent portion fitting intoan openingfjfla in adjusting nut '52 and the lower bent portion fitting into one of four notches 48a in the upper surface of sleeve 43. In order to adjust nut .32 on rod 33 it is necessary to compress spring 33 so that either the upper bent portion dis- "engages the opening-52a in the adjusting nut or brackets 23 provided with rubber cushions 23a are attached to the front of base I! for limiting downward movement of the treadle. A tension or counter-balancing spring 33 is attached at one end to base I! and at its opposite end to the mid-portion of mounting member l3. Treadle I l is connected to the bolt lid of latch mechanism It by means of a rod 3! having a horizontal book 32 formed on the upper portion thereof, a rod 33 having a'horizontal hook 34 formed on its lower portion, a vertical wire 33, a bell crank 33 and a horizontal wire 31.

In accordance with this invention, as shown in Figs. 2 and 6, rod M, which is square in crosssection, is connected to treadle l1 by means of an adjusting nut 33 provided with a-recess in the upper portion thereoi. A lock washer 33 provided 1 with a square opening fits within this recess and is held in place by a spring clip 40. A yieldabie rubber washer 4| provides a cushion between the adjusting nut 38 and the upper surface of treadle H. A compression spring 42 surrounds the lower portion of rod 3| and is held in position at its upper end by a washer 43 and at its lower end by a washer 44. Washer 44 is provided with a square opening. and with a hexagonal recess adapted to receive a hexagonal nut 45 threaded on the lower end of rod 3|. This y'ieldable connection between rod 3] and treadle I! not only prevents excessive pull on the latch mechanism I6, but also provides a means whereby. treadle l1 may be moved through a slight angle as the treadle is moved upward or downward. Rod 3i is guided in a square opening in a bracket 46 which, in turn, is welded or otherwise secured to the refrigerator cabinet. A leaf spring 41 supported by bracket 48 yieldably holds the hook portion 32 of rod 3i in proper position relative to the hook portion 34 of rod 33.

As shown, the lower right corner of door ll,

as viewed in Fig. 1, is provided with a housing member 43 adapted to form a recess to receive the hook portions 32 and 34 of rods 3| and 33 respectively. Rod 33, the lower portion of which is square in cross-section, is guided in a sleeve 43 having a square passage formed therein. Sleeve the lower bent portion disengages a notch 43a of sleeve 48. When so disengaged, adjusting nut 32 may be adjusted through the necessary full turns and quarter turns by making use of any one of the fournotches 49a in the upper surface of sleeve 43, Fig. 11. Adjusting nut 52 is formed with a socket 520 having a hardened washer 52b permanently secured to the upper portion thereof.

Vertical wire 35 is provided with a hardened collar 350 at each end thereof. These collars are held on the wire by heading or peening over the ends of the wire, as at 3th. The lower end of wire 3| slides through the washer 52b and the upper end of this wire slides through a roller 36b in hell crank 35.

otherwise secured to a cross channel 55, Figs. 1 and 2. As shown in Fig. 2, the lower portion of channel 55 is cut away to permit pivotal movement of the bell crank. Pivot pin 54 is secured in bracket 56 and prevented from turning by a spring clip 51, the ends of which clip are bent over the edges of the bracket. As stated above, the upper end of vertical wire 35 slides through an opening in the lower roller 35b of the bell crank. The right end of horizontal wire 31, as viewed in Fig. 8 slides through an opening in the upper roller 36b of the bell crank and is provided with a collar 31a and a headed portion 31b. The left end of wire 31 is so bent at 31c and 31d that it can be hooked over a pin lie of latch bolt Ito. The left end of wire 31 is clamped to pin Me by means of a clamp 53, a screw 59 and a nut 59a. Clamp 53 is formed with a pair oi upstanding flanges which are cut away, as at 38c, so that the clamp is held in a definite position relative to the latch pin ltc.

In operation, when it is desired to open the door to the food storage compartment, the operator depresses treadle I! by engaging any portion of the tread 28 with his toe, and even though pressure is applied inwardly as well as downwardly, the construction and arrangement of the tread, the yieldable connection between the rod 3| and treadle l1, the manner of mounting the treadle on the cabinet base and the long pivot arm of the treadle is such that the pressure is substantially all resolved into a downward vertical component. Thisdownward pressure on the treadle causes the treadle to descend against the action of sprin 33; downward movement of the treadle being limited by contact with cushions 29a. The compression of spring 42 is such that this spring does not yield appreciabiy when the treadle is first depressed. Therefore, as. the treadle is depressed, rod 3i and attached hook l! are pulled vertically downward, causing rod 83 and attached wire 38 to be pulled vertically downward. This causes bell'crank it to be rotated in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 1, pulling horizontal wire 31 to the left, thereby unlatching latch mechanism I 6. Should an excess pressure be applied to the treadle after the latch mechanism has reached the end of its travel, compression spring 42 will yield thereby preventing undue strain from being applied to the latch mechanism. After the door has been opened and the operator has removed his foot from the treadle, the spring 30 and the rubber cushions 24 return the treadle and rod ii to the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and in the meantime, spring 53 will have returned rod I! to its uppermost position. To close the door it is only necessary for the operator to shove the door with sufilcient force that the latch keeper, lib, contacts and trips the latch mechanism I 6, whereupon the latch mechanism draws the door into air-tight engagement with the cabinet. as fully explained in the aforementioned application of Arthur C. Shuart.

Referring now to Fig. 12 of the drawing, the treadle I1 is connected to the lower or threaded portion of a rod 3| by means of an adjusting nut 60. Rod 3| is generally similar to rod 3| of Figs. 1-'! except that the lower or threaded portion of rod 3| is round. As shown; adjusting nut 60 comprises aspool formed with an upper flange "a, a lower flange 60b and an internallythreaded shank or connecting member 600. A pair of yieldable rubber washers 6| are threaded on to the shank of the spool with the upper flat portion of treadle ll sandwiched therebetween. The structure illustrated in Fig. 12 may be assembled by placing the upper rubber washer on the shank portion of the spool, the shank portion of the spool is then inserted into an opening in the upper flat portion of treadle ii, the bottom rubber washer is applied to the shank, the lower flange of the spool is applied to the shank and the lower portion of the shank is peened over the lower flange, as shown in Fig. 12. The rod I I is then screwed into the spool until the proper length of the rod extends above the treadle, then the rod is mounted in the guide bracket 46. Be-

- rubber washers, can move through a slight angle without disturbin the vertical position of rod ii and with the rod mounted in the above manner noise and wear are eliminated.

Referring now to Fig. 13 of the drawing, the rod Si" is formed of two sections, a lower section iia and an upper section 3lb. These two sections are held together (shown separated in the drawing) under normal operation by a tension spring 10. The tension on spring is such that when an excess pressure is applied to the treadle after the latchmechanism has reached the end of itstravel, the two sections of rod M" will separate so as to prevent undue strain on the latch mechanism. Spring 10 includes a straight portion H at each end provided with a right angle bend I2. Each of the bent portions 6" l2 ilts into an opening II in each of the rod sections. A ferrule 14 is applied to each end of the spring to prevent the bent portions thereof from pulling out of the openings. The ferrules are held in place on the rod sections by center punch depressions I! which project into the openings 13 opposite the bent" portions of the spring; The upper portionof rod section Sid and the lower portion of rod section flb is drilled to receive a guide pin 16, which pin holds the two sections of the rod in alignment as they move toward or from each'other. The upper- While I have illustrated and described specific embodiments of my invention. the invention obviously may take other forms and be variously applied within the scope of the following claims. What is claimed is:

1. Latch mechanism for a hinged door of a cabinet including a latch bolt secured to said.

door, a treadle cushioned on said cabinet and having a tread traversing substantially the entire front of said cabinet below said door, and means yieldably connecting said treadle to said latch bolt, said means including a first verticalelement yieldably connected to said treadle, a second vertical element connected to said first vertical element and passing upwardly through said door on the hinged side thereof and a horizontal element connected at one end to said second vertical element and at its opposite end to said latch bolt.

2. Latch mechanism fora hinged door of a cabinet, including a latch bolt secured to said door, a treadle mounted on said cabinet and having a tread traversing substantially the entire front of said cabinet below said door, means including rubber cushions for pivotally mounting said treadle on the bottom rear portion of said cabinet, and means operatively connecting said treadle to said latch bolt, said last-named means including a first vertical element yieldably connected to said treadle, a second vertical element connected to said first vertical element and passing upwardly through said door on the hinged side thereof and a horizontal element connected at one end to said second vertical element and at its opposite end. to said latch bolt.

3. A latch mechanism for a door of a refrigerator cabinet including a latch bolt, artreadle positioned across the front of said cabinet and pivotally cushioned on two sides of said cabinet, means counter-balancing said treadle, means yieldably connecting said treadle to said latch bolt, said last-named means including a rod yieldably connected to said treadle and projecting upwardly therefrom and means mounted in said door operatively connected at one end to said rod and at its opposite end to said latch bolt.

4. A latch mechanism for a refrigerator cabinet having a door hinged thereto, said latch mechanism including a latch bolt mounted on said door, a treadle disposed at the lower portion of said cabinet and having a tread that traverses substantially the entire front of said cabinet below said door, rubber cushions pivotally mounting said treadle in the lower portion of said cabinet at two sides thereof, and means yieldably connecting said treadle to said latch bolt, said means including a bell crank, a rod connected to 7 said treadle; a vertical wire operatively connected at its lower end to said rod and slidably connected at its upper end to said bell crank and a horizontal wire slidably connected at one end to said bell crank and operatlvely connected at its opposite end to said latch bolt.

5. A latch mechanism for a refrigerator cabimechanism including a bell crank. a vertical wire operatiyely connected at its lower end to said rod 8 and slidably connected at its upper end to sal bell crank and a horizontal wire slidably connected at one end to said bell crank and operatively connected at its opposite end to said latch bolt.

HUGH WALLACE.

nermmces crrnn I The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 533,571 Tower Feb. 5, 1895 1,628,506 Lyman May 10, 1927 1,896,975 Sanders et al Feb. 7, 1933 2,038,334 Anderson Apr. 21, 1936 2,208,532 Woodward July 16, 1040 Buchanan May 16, 1944 

